A note from the editor

A three-story wall on Hammond Street is getting a new face this week, and you're invited to the party. Bangor Beautiful's new community mural gets its celebration Saturday afternoon at 2 Hammond Street, and the woman who has done as much as anyone to put paint on this city's walls is our Who to Know.

It's also the week our 2026 Voter Guide goes out. Twelve names, three seats, and one free place to read up on all of them. Grab a coffee, give it ten minutes, and walk into the Cross Insurance Center on November 3 knowing who's who.

See you around town.

Ken, the editor

🏡 THIS WEEKEND IN BANGOR

Friday, September 25

  • Bangor Contra Dance: Dead Sea Squirrels with caller Quena Crain 💫 Time: 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM Venue: Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor, 120 Park St. Contra is back every fourth Friday. The family-friendly dances with simple steps start at 6, so bring the kids and a pair of comfy shoes.

  • Nostalgia Night at Maine Discovery Museum Time: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Venue: Maine Discovery Museum A grown-up night at the museum. Revisit your childhood favorites, recreate those old photos, and grab an adult beverage (21+ with ID).

Saturday, September 26

  • Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Time: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Venue: Bangor Public Library Learn to make mooncakes, taste teas, try calligraphy and origami, and play mahjong. Afternoon performances too.

  • 5th Annual Recovery Palooza Time: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM Venue: Bangor Waterfront Maine's largest recovery celebration. Open to anyone in recovery, anyone supporting someone, and anyone who wants to show up for their neighbors.

  • Bangor Beautiful Community Mural Celebration 🎨 Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Venue: 2 Hammond St. Come see Bangor's newest three-story mural and meet the people who made it. More in Who to Know below.

  • 40 FINGERS 🎤 Time: 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM Venue: Gracie Theatre, Husson University Four Italian guitarists, one stage, and a big high-energy take on songs you know.

Sunday, September 27

  • Bangor Farmers Market Time: 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM Venue: Corner of Franklin & Harlow Streets, across from the library Peak apple and squash season. Bring a bag.

  • Free Shave Ice Day Time: 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM Venue: Sawyer's Shave Ice Free shave ice to support a team member running a 5K for The Purple Iris Foundation in memory of her mom.

All Weekend

  • On Golden Pond 🎭 Time: Friday 7:00 PM, Saturday 2:00 PM, Sunday 3:00 PM Venue: Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor Opera House Norman and Ethel Thayer's quiet summer on a Maine lake gets complicated when their daughter shows up. The play that inspired the Oscar-winning movie.

Queen City Weekly Event Listing

Friday, September 25 – Thursday, October 1, 2026

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

  • Tech Tutoring
    Time: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Computer Lab
    Phone acting up? Laptop being stubborn? Book a free one-on-one session and walk out with answers.

  • Dreaming at Dawn: UMVA Exhibition (Final Week) 🎨
    Time: Library hours, through Wed Sept 30 | Venue: Bangor Public Library
    68 dreamy works by 51 Maine artists fill three galleries. Last chance to wander through before it comes down.

  • Pole Conditioning 💪
    Time: 10:00 AM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Build the strength behind the tricks. A solid workout, pole or no pole, for $15.

  • Old Town Riverfest 30th Anniversary
    Time: 5:00 PM-10:00 PM (runs through Sunday) | Venue: Binette Park, Main St, Old Town
    Thirty years of parades, fireworks, food trucks, a car show, and dinosaurs. Saturday runs 10 AM-10 PM, Sunday 8 AM-2 PM.

  • Bangor Contra Dance: Dead Sea Squirrels with caller Quena Crain 💫
    Time: 5:30 PM-10:00 PM | Venue: Unitarian Universalist Church
    Live band, a friendly caller, and a room full of spinning strangers who become friends by the second dance. No partner or experience needed.

  • Nervous System Reset: Sound Healing for Stress Relief
    Time: 6:00 PM-9:00 PM | Venue: Thriving Proof, 33 Penn Plz
    Lie back, breathe, and let the sound wash the week off you. $40, space for just 12, scholarship spots available.

  • Beginner Pole 💪
    Time: 6:30 PM-7:30 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    First time on a pole? Perfect. Friendly instructors walk you through it from step one.

  • Nostalgia Night at Maine Discovery Museum
    Time: 7:00 PM-10:00 PM | Venue: Maine Discovery Museum
    Grown-ups get the museum to themselves, with drinks, science, and art. 21+ only, so leave the kids with a sitter this time.

  • On Golden Pond 🎭
    Time: 7:00 PM-9:30 PM | Venue: Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St
    A cranky old professor, a summer in Maine, and a teenager who changes everything. Bring tissues for this one.

  • 9 to 5: A Dolly Parton Tribute Variety Show 🎤
    Time: 7:00 PM-10:00 PM | Venue: The House of Entertainment, 128 Main St
    All the Dolly hits, big hair energy, and a crowd that will sing every word. Proceeds benefit Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

  • Living Worlds
    Time: 7:00 PM-8:00 PM | Venue: Versant Power Astronomy Center, UMaine, Orono
    A dome full of stars and a trip through what makes a planet able to hold life. A great Friday night date that is a little out of this world.

  • Lyra Tips and Tricks 💫
    Time: 7:30 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Pick up new moves on the aerial hoop and end your week hanging around, literally.

  • Bad Daddy Live at Penobscot Pour House 🎤
    Time: 9:00 PM-11:00 PM | Venue: Penobscot Pour House
    Chicago blues meets coastal Maine rock. Loud, gritty, and made for a Friday night.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

  • Bangor's European Market
    Time: 8:30 AM-12:30 PM | Venue: Bangor's European Market
    Meats, seafood, produce, and fresh-baked goods from near and far. Come hungry, leave with a full bag.

  • Fall Arts & Crafts Supply Swap 🎨
    Time: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Norman Minsky Lecture Hall
    Bring the yarn you'll never use and leave with the paint you actually need. Crafters helping crafters.

  • Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
    Time: 10:00 AM-2:00 PM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Atrium
    Mooncakes, tea tasting, mahjong, origami, and calligraphy. A kids' version runs 12:30-1:30 PM in the Children's Department.

  • Saturday Story Stop
    Time: 11:00 AM-11:30 AM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Story Room
    Stories, songs, and wiggles for ages 3-6.

  • 5th Annual Recovery Palooza
    Time: 11:00 AM-3:00 PM | Venue: Bangor Waterfront
    A big, joyful waterfront party celebrating Recovery Month and the people who make recovery possible.

  • On Golden Pond 🎭
    Time: 2:00 PM-4:30 PM | Venue: Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St
    The Saturday matinee. Norman, Ethel, and a lake full of loons.

  • Bangor Beautiful Community Mural Celebration 🎨
    Time: 4:00 PM-6:00 PM | Venue: 2 Hammond St
    A brand-new three-story mural by Rachel Gloria Adams, built from patterns by local artists. Food trucks, entertainment, and free.

  • All Things Equal: The Life & Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg 🎭
    Time: 7:00 PM-9:00 PM | Venue: Collins Center for the Arts, Orono
    A one-woman show that's funny, moving, and very RBG. The show says to bring your scrunchies.

  • 40 FINGERS 🎤
    Time: 7:30 PM-9:00 PM | Venue: Gracie Theatre, Husson University
    Four Italian guitarists, one stage, and rock anthems played like you've never heard them. Even Queen gave them a shout-out.

  • Cadenzato 🎤
    Time: 7:30 PM-9:00 PM | Venue: Minsky Recital Hall, UMaine, Orono
    Live music in one of the best-sounding rooms in the region.

  • Kayleigh Clark at Hollywood Casino 🎤
    Time: 8:00 PM-11:00 PM | Venue: Hollywood Casino
    Country tunes and a Saturday night crowd ready to sing along.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

  • Sunday All-Levels Vinyasa Yoga 💪
    Time: 9:00 AM-10:00 AM | Venue: Mainely Zen
    An easy, balanced flow to start the day. Every body welcome.

  • Bangor Farmers Market
    Time: 11:00 AM-1:30 PM | Venue: West Market Square
    Apples, squash, and fresh bread. Fall is here and the market proves it.

  • Beginner Pole 💪
    Time: 11:00 AM-12:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    A Sunday morning spin for beginners. No experience, no judgment, just fun.

  • Fly Pole 💫
    Time: 11:00 AM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Aerial pole moves that get you off the ground and into the air.

  • Community Clothing Swap @Red Rabbit Bazaar
    Time: 11:00 AM-3:00 PM | Venue: Red Rabbit Bazaar
    Swap out your summer stuff for sweater weather finds at $2 a pound.

  • Intro to Pole 💪
    Time: 12:00 PM-1:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    The very first steps on the pole, taught slow and steady.

  • Theater 🎭
    Time: 12:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Stage skills, character work, and a little drama, the good kind.

  • Free Shave Ice Day
    Time: 12:00 PM-3:00 PM | Venue: Sawyer's Shave Ice
    Free shave ice for a good cause, supporting the Purple Iris Foundation. One last sweet taste of summer.

  • Lyra Hoop 💫
    Time: 1:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Swing, spin, and pose in the aerial hoop.

  • Intro to Pole 💪
    Time: 1:00 PM-2:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    A second chance to try pole for the first time this Sunday.

  • Sunday Community Jam 🎤
    Time: 2:00 PM-5:00 PM | Venue: 2 Feet Brewing
    Bring a guitar, a fiddle, or just your ears. Anyone can sit in.

  • Circus Troupe Training 💫
    Time: 2:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Practice time for the studio's circus performers and anyone hoping to join them.

  • Intro to Intermediate Pole 💪
    Time: 2:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Ready to move past the basics? This is your bridge to bigger tricks.

  • Magic Globe: Story of the Seasons
    Time: 2:00 PM-3:00 PM | Venue: Versant Power Astronomy Center, UMaine, Orono
    Why do leaves turn and days get shorter? A planetarium show that's perfect for curious kids.

  • Circus Fitness: Aerials, Tumbling & More 💫
    Time: 3:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Aerials, tumbling, and a workout that feels more like running away with the circus.

  • Ivalas String Quartet with Pianist Ying Li 🎤
    Time: 3:00 PM-5:00 PM | Venue: Minsky Recital Hall, UMaine, Orono
    The Chamber Music season opens with a quartet that spotlights BIPOC composers next to the classics, joined by a piano virtuoso.

  • On Golden Pond 🎭
    Time: 3:00 PM-5:30 PM | Venue: Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St
    A Sunday matinee for anyone who has ever loved a stubborn parent.

  • Radiohead: Black Star 🎤
    Time: 4:00 PM-5:00 PM | Venue: Versant Power Astronomy Center, UMaine, Orono
    Radiohead under a sky full of stars. Lie back and let the dome do the rest.

  • Evolve: A Spiral Journey 💫
    Time: 5:30 PM-7:30 PM | Venue: Spiral Studio
    Yoga, free movement, and quiet reflection. A gentle reset before Monday.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

  • Learn About Rug Braiding 🎨
    Time: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Laurence E. Crofutt Community Room
    Watch an old Maine craft come to life, one braid at a time.

  • Beginner Pole Dancing 💪
    Time: 6:00 PM-7:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Start the week with a new skill and a lot of laughing at yourself.

  • Beginner Lyra and Aerial Silks 💫
    Time: 6:00 PM-7:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Your first climb into hoops and silks, with a spotter right there.

  • Douglas Rooks at BookSpace
    Time: 7:00 PM-8:00 PM | Venue: BookSpace
    Maine history author Douglas Rooks reads and signs, with The Briar Patch and Bangor Historical Society.

  • Chimera Coffee Trivia 🍺
    Time: 7:00 PM-8:30 PM | Venue: Chimera Coffee
    Monday night trivia with Sir_Quizzalot. Caffeine counts as a strategy.

  • Intro to Pole Dancing 💪
    Time: 7:00 PM-8:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    The gentlest possible first spin. Come curious, leave grinning.

  • Kickboxing & Martial Arts 🥋
    Time: 7:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Punch, kick, and sweat out the Monday blues.

  • Beginner Lollipop Lyra 💫
    Time: 8:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    A beginner-friendly spin on the aerial hoop, using a lollipop-style rig.

  • Monday Karaoke at Paddy Murphy's 🎤
    Time: 9:00 PM | Venue: Paddy Murphy's
    Grab the mic and start the week loud.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

  • Ladies Breakfast with Glad Tidings
    Time: 9:00 AM-10:30 AM | Venue: Husson Dining Center, 1 College Cir
    A full breakfast for $8 and a table full of good company. All women welcome.

  • Bouncing Baby Story Time
    Time: 10:15 AM-10:35 AM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Story Room
    Rhymes, songs, and bounces for babies up to 24 months.

  • Tiny Tots Storytime
    Time: 11:00 AM-11:30 AM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Story Room
    Stories, games, and finger plays for ages 2-4.

  • Kids Kitchen
    Time: 3:30 PM-4:15 PM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Story Room
    Little chefs, big fun. A hands-on kitchen session for kids.

  • Songwriters' Open Mic 🎤
    Time: 5:00 PM-8:00 PM | Venue: 2 Feet Brewing
    Fifteen minutes each, original songs only. Come hear what your neighbors have been writing.

  • Yoga Flow 💪
    Time: 5:00 PM-6:00 PM | Venue: Keith Anderson Community Center, Orono
    Drop-in yoga for every level with Holly Twining. $15, or $10 if you need it.

  • What Happens to Bangor's Trash?
    Time: 5:30 PM-7:00 PM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Laurence E. Crofutt Community Room
    You toss it on Tuesday. Where does it go after that? Get the real story.

  • Community Conversation on Artificial Intelligence
    Time: 6:00 PM-7:00 PM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Norman Minsky Lecture Hall
    The Maine State Library leads a plain-talk chat about AI. Bring your questions and your worries.

  • Pole Conditioning 💪
    Time: 6:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Strength and flexibility work that makes every pole move easier.

  • Aerial Hoop and Conditioning 💫
    Time: 6:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Hoop skills plus the conditioning to hold them.

  • Elmo's Got the Moves 💫
    Time: 6:00 PM-8:00 PM | Venue: Collins Center for the Arts, Orono
    Sesame Street Live brings Elmo and friends to the stage. Expect lots of dancing in the aisles.

  • Tuesday Live Irish Sessions & Open Mic 🎤
    Time: 6:00 PM-close | Venue: Paddy Murphy's
    Irish jam from 6-8 PM, then open mic from 9 PM to close. Pull up a stool.

  • Beginner Pole 💪
    Time: 7:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    A welcoming Tuesday night class for first-timers.

  • Open Hoop 💫
    Time: 7:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Open practice time on the aerial hoop. Work on what you love.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

  • Bouncing Baby Story Time
    Time: 10:15 AM-10:35 AM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Story Room
    Rhymes, songs, and bounces for babies up to 24 months.

  • Tiny Tots Storytime
    Time: 11:00 AM-11:30 AM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Story Room
    Stories, games, and finger plays for ages 2-4.

  • Tech Tutoring
    Time: 2:00 PM-5:00 PM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Computer Lab
    Free one-on-one help with whatever device is giving you grief.

  • Teen Dungeons and Dragons Club
    Time: 4:00 PM-5:00 PM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Teen Study Room A
    Roll the dice and join the quest. Grades 6-12, beginners welcome.

  • Beginner Pole Dance 💪
    Time: 4:00 PM-5:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    An after-work (or after-school pickup) spin for beginners.

  • STITCH 'N B*TCH
    Time: 4:00 PM-6:00 PM | Venue: Red Rabbit Bazaar
    Learn to sew and mend your clothes, with plenty of chatter on the side.

  • Intermediate Pole Dance 💪
    Time: 5:30 PM-6:30 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Bigger combos and cleaner lines for dancers with some spins under their belts.

  • Queen City/Creative Arts Center Chess Club ♟️
    Time: 6:00 PM-8:00 PM | Venue: Creative Arts Center, 54 Wilson St, Brewer, ME
    Open to all skill levels, every Wednesday night. Pull up a chair and make your move.

  • Kickboxing & Martial Arts Fitness 🥋
    Time: 7:00 PM-8:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Midweek stress relief, one kick at a time.

  • Beginner Burlesque 💫
    Time: 7:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Sass, sparkle, and confidence. No experience needed, just attitude.

  • Noir at the Bar in Bangor
    Time: 7:00 PM-9:00 PM | Venue: Barliman's
    Eleven Maine authors read their darkest stuff in a bar. Grab a drink and a chill down your spine.

  • Out of This Warren Sci-Fi Book Club: Certainty
    Time: 7:30 PM-8:30 PM | Venue: The Briar Patch
    This month's pick is Certainty by John Twelve Hawks. Come talk it through with fellow sci-fi fans.

  • Lyra Tips and Tricks 💫
    Time: 8:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    New hoop moves to close out hump day.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1

  • Rabbit Rabbit Start of Month Sale
    Time: All day | Venue: Red Rabbit Bazaar
    Say "rabbit rabbit" for luck and take 10% off regular-priced items.

  • Next Chapter Book Club
    Time: 2:00 PM-3:00 PM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Laurence E. Crofutt Community Room
    A welcoming book club for teens and adults with intellectual disabilities.

  • Stitch & Sip
    Time: 5:30 PM-6:30 PM | Venue: Bangor Public Library, Laurence E. Crofutt Community Room
    Bring your knitting or crochet. The library brings the coffee and tea.

  • Beginner Pole Flow 💪
    Time: 6:00 PM-7:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Smooth, flowing pole moves for beginners.

  • Jazz 💫
    Time: 6:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Classic jazz dance with big energy and bigger kicks.

  • Bangor Pub Run 🏃
    Time: 6:30 PM-8:00 PM | Venue: Paddy Murphy's
    Run three to five miles, then earn your pint downtown.

  • On Golden Pond 🎭
    Time: 7:00 PM-9:30 PM | Venue: Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor Opera House, 131 Main St
    The run wraps up this weekend. Catch it before the loons fly south.

  • Ghostly Bangor Walking Tour
    Time: 7:00 PM-8:30 PM | Venue: Downtown Bangor
    Unsolved mysteries, old murders, and a few spirits who never left. October starts right here.

  • Trivia Night at Nocturnem Draft Haus 🍺
    Time: 7:00 PM-9:30 PM | Venue: Nocturnem Draft Haus
    Great beer, sharp questions, real prizes. Bring your smartest friends.

  • Pole Clinic 💪
    Time: 7:00 PM-8:00 PM | Venue: Eye Candy Dance & Fitness, 128 Main St., Suite B
    Bring the move that's been giving you trouble and work it out with help.

  • Karaoke at Penobscot Pour House 🎤
    Time: 8:00 PM-11:55 PM | Venue: Penobscot Pour House
    Your Thursday night power ballad is waiting.

CITY HALL & PUBLIC MEETINGS
September 25 – October 1, 2026 | All meetings open to the public
Agendas posted the Friday before at bangormaine.gov/AgendaCenter. Times subject to change.

No School Committee meeting this week (last met Sept 23). No Parks & Recreation events on the city calendar for this window.

Penobscot Theatre is staging On Golden Pond this month. It's a story about one last summer at the lake, and this week in Bangor feels a lot like that.

Sawyer's is handing out free shave ice on Sunday, one more cold treat before the jackets come out. The Dreaming at Dawn art show at the library comes down Wednesday, so go see it while you can. Up the road, Old Town Riverfest turns 30 with a parade, fireworks and food trucks.

Then Thursday is October 1, and fall gets going for real. Somebody at Red Rabbit Bazaar will say "rabbit rabbit" for luck. A walking tour will take a crowd downtown to the spots where Bangor's ghost stories live. And on Saturday, a brand-new three-story mural gets its welcome party on Hammond Street, while the library hands out mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

If you've been waiting for a sign to try something new, this is it. The list is full of beginner classes: pole, lyra, burlesque and contra dancing, plus an open mic where anyone can sit in. No one in those rooms expects you to be good yet. That's the fun part.

Pick one thing this week you've never done before. Then hit reply and tell me how it went.

See you out there,

the editor

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  • Friday, September 25 - Rizza’s Kitchen, Del’s Lemonade

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Del's Lemonade Bangor Food truck | Find it at @delsbangor

Rhode Island almost made it the state drink. In 1993, lawmakers there picked two finalists: coffee milk and Del's frozen lemonade. Coffee milk won. Rhode Islanders never got over it.

Now Bangor has its own Del's truck, and it has been one of the surprise hits of the summer.

The recipe goes back a long way. The DeLucia family story says a great-grandfather in Naples, Italy, packed winter snow into caves lined with straw. When summer came, he mixed the snow with fresh lemon juice and sugar and sold it at the market. The first Del's opened as a pushcart in Cranston, Rhode Island, in 1948.

The Bangor truck belongs to Margo Philbrick and her husband. Margo grew up with Del's in Rhode Island and moved to Maine more than ten years ago. Her husband kept saying a Del's would do well up here. They finally opened this summer. Margo, a homeschooling mom, uses the truck to teach her kids how a business works.

Facebook

It caught on fast. "It's crazy because there are so many Rhode Islanders up here," she told I-95 back in July.

The recipe is simple: real fruit, cane sugar, and water. That's it. Lemon is the classic. Watermelon, strawberry lemonade, blueberry, and tangerine are on the board too, with peach-mango and green apple rotating in.

The move this week: Del's is a summer thing, and summer just left the building. Check @delsbangor on Instagram or Del's Lemonade Bangor on Facebook. They post where they'll park at the start of each week. Catch one last cup before the truck rolls into the off-season.

Down the road: The Philbrick’s say they plan to open a shop someday. For now, they're staying on wheels.

Annette Dodd | President, Bangor Beautiful

If you've ever snapped a photo in front of a Bangor mural, there's a good chance you have Annette Dodd to thank.

Dodd is behind some of the most famous walls in the city. "Greetings from Bangor Maine" is hers. So is "Paul Bunyan Bangor Wants You." In 2022, she and artist Peter Walls turned the gray retaining walls behind the post office into a bright tribute to the Kenduskeag Stream Trail, filled with fish, birds, and turtles. She dedicated that one to her late brother, Tony Sohns, who loved getting people outdoors.

By day, Dodd co-owns The Rock & Art Shop and Sohns Gallery with her family. The rest of the time, she's figuring out where Bangor needs more color. In 2023 she helped start Bangor Beautiful, a nonprofit that raises money for murals, trees, and gardens across the whole city, not just downtown. Since then the group has put a bee mural downtown, painted Wabanaki art right onto the shoulder of Hammond Street to slow traffic, and filled the amphitheater fence on Main Street with work by local artists.

"Public art can do so much for a city," Dodd said a couple of years back. "It creates joy in the pedestrians who are walking or driving in the city."

This Saturday, the group's biggest project yet gets its party. Portland artist Rachel Gloria Adams has been painting the side of 2 Hammond Street with a three-story mural built from Bangor-inspired patterns by local artists, and Dodd is one of them. The celebration runs 4 to 6 PM. Go say thanks.

Thirty new homes are about to open on Kenduskeag Avenue. The old Country Villa retirement home has been turned into 30 apartments, mostly studios with a few one-bedrooms. People can likely start moving in after October 1. At least half the units must stay affordable for people earning at or below 80% of the area's median income. That matters in a city that's short about 700 apartments for people earning $35,000 a year or less.

A yard sale that keeps a dream alive. For 14 years, Great East Title has hosted a huge yard sale for Sarah's House in Holden, which gives free lodging to cancer patients and their families while they get treatment. Sarah Robinson, who started Sarah's House, once worked at Great East Title. Her old coworkers still aim to raise more than $10,000 every year in her memory. This year's sale was another big weekend of neighbors showing up.

One Bangor veteran found his calm at the lathe. Army veteran Raymond Wortman had reached a point where he wasn't leaving home or talking to anyone. Then the VA and a few local craftsmen got him into woodturning. Now he spends his days outside his Bangor apartment turning pens, pipes, and spoon handles. He says he just lets the wood tell him what it wants to be.

Bangor has a crowded ballot this fall. Twelve people qualified to run for three open seats on the City Council, the biggest candidate pool in at least 42 years.

That's a lot of names to sort through. So we built a free guide with every candidate and where they stand. No paywall, no spin.

Read the Queen City Weekly 2026 Voter Guide

Who's running: Adam Baker, Anthony Cote, Katherine Devine, Terry Dinkins, Michael Furrow, James Gallagher, John King, Joe Leonard, Jennifer Maskala, Dawson Nevells, Joseph Pratt and Andrei Yermakov. Leonard is the only sitting councilor running for reelection.

Dates to know: October 5: Early voting by absentee ballot begins. October 29: Last day to request an absentee ballot or vote early. November 3: Election Day. Polls are open 7 AM to 8 PM at the Cross Insurance Center. That's 515 Main Street, and it's where all Bangor voters cast their ballots.

Not registered yet? Maine allows same-day voter registration. Questions? Call the City Clerk & Treasury Office at 207-992-4220.

Presented by: Foam Rush Maine

Want to see your ad here? Reach out.

Saturday's mural party at 2 Hammond Street celebrates Bangor's newest wall. This week's Who to Know painted some of the city's most famous ones.

Annette Dodd's well-known downtown mural "Bangor Wants You" features which figure?

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  • Michael Koryta at Bangor Public Library, Tuesday Sept. 22, 7 PM. The Maine author launches his newest thriller, Die Famous, with a book talk and discussion about the 1937 events that inspired it. Koryta will sign copies, then lead a walking tour tied to the novel. Free. bangorpubliclibrary.libcal.com

  • Songwriters welcome at 2 Feet, Tuesday nights. The Songwriter's Open Mic at 2 Feet Brewing runs every Tuesday from 5-8 PM. Each songwriter gets 15 minutes and a mic. Pull up a stool if you just want to listen.

  • The NRSingers are back and looking for voices. The New Renaissance Singers, Bangor's community chorus, opened its fall season and is welcoming new members. No auditions. Thursday evenings from 6:45-8:15 PM at the Unitarian Universalist Society, 120 Park Street, Bangor. All experience levels and voice types welcome. nrsingers.com

  • The Bangor Contra Dance returns next Friday, Sept. 25. The band is Dead Sea Squirrels with caller Quena Crain. Community Band practice runs 5:30-6 PM. A family-friendly beginner dance goes 6-7 PM. Full dance 7-10 PM. All levels. UUSB, 120 Park Street, Bangor.

  • 9 to 5: A Dolly Parton Tribute Variety Show, Friday Sept. 25, 7-10 PM. ⚑ Venue not confirmed from primary source. Check downtownbangor.com before you go.

  • Nostalgia Night at Maine Discovery Museum, Friday Sept. 25, 7-10 PM. Adults-only (21+). Revisit the exhibits you grew up with, or discover them for the first time. Drink in hand, science included. MaineDiscoveryMuseum.org

    Queen City Expo is two weeks out. October 2-3 at Collins Center for the Arts. More in next week's issue.

This week's photo by Ken D'Errico.

Got a great shot of greater Bangor? Submit it for a chance to be featured in Queen City Weekly. Submit your photo here.


Food Resources

If you or someone you know needs a meal or groceries, here are some places operating in Bangor right now. Call ahead to confirm hours before you go.

Salvation Army Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen, 65 South Park St. Meals Monday through Friday, 11:30am to 1pm. Food pantry Wednesdays and Fridays, 9 to 11am (walk-in). 207-535-9572.

Manna Ministry, 95 Center St. Hot meals Monday through Friday, 4 to 5pm. Food pantry Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 3 to 4pm.

Brick Church, 126 Union St. Meals Monday through Friday, 4:30 to 5:30pm. Clothes and showers also available Tuesday and Thursday, 10am to 2pm.

Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, 263 Main St. Soup kitchen daily at 11:45am. Food pantry Sunday and Tuesday, 1 to 4pm (one visit per month).

Bangor Food Pantry, 28 High St. (at Hammond Street Congregational Church). Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30am to noon. Bangor residents only.

Bangor Region YMCA, 17 Second St. Food pantry Tuesdays 6 to 8am, Thursdays 6 to 7:30pm, Saturdays 12:30 to 2:30pm.

Have an announcement, job posting, event, or local news tip for Queen City Weekly? Reply to this email or reach us at [email protected].

Got a great shot of greater Bangor? Submit it for a chance to be featured right here. Submit your photo here.

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Queen City Weekly publishes every Friday morning. Forward this to someone who loves Bangor.

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Have an amazing week, and see you next Friday. — Ken, Editor

Queen City Weekly | Greater Bangor, Maine

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